I'm in a mood lately, and I'm sure I'm not the only one, where I want to cook inside as little as possible. I also want my food to feel light and fresh, and I want to try and enjoy the bounty of the season as best as possible, whether that be from my own little garden or some farmers market fare. Oh, and I don't want to spend a ton of money. Who's with me? This dinner hits a lot of these marks. In fact, here in Michigan I could find most of these ingredients at the farmers market, including spice rubs and honey! Since the carrots need to cook in a pan, I opted to grill the tenderloin inside as well, but if you are less lazy than I am, cook the pork on an outdoor grill by all means! As for the salad, yes, it's simple, but you don't need a ton of ingredients to pack the perfect flavor punch. Blue cheese and honey!? Yes, ma'am!

Recipes are listed individually first, followed by choreographed steps for preparing the full meal.

- I refer to the medallions as steaks because they remind me of mini beef tenderloins.- I like to find fun spice or herb blends simply to save myself time in the kitchen. This particular blend I picked up was a combination of salt, pepper, chili powder, thyme, garlic powder and citrus.

INSTRUCTIONS

Trim the pork tenderloin into medallions or steaks. If you are working with two tenderloins, aim to get 4 medallions out of each. I estimate about 2 fingers-wide, although I increase the thickness as I get to the more narrow end. If you are working with a large tenderloin, aim to get 8 medallions out of it. If the ends are really tapered, I cut them off and discard so every piece cooks evenly. Ideally, each steak is about 2.5-3 ounces.

Turn the steaks on their cut sides. Check your spice blend. If it has salt in it already don't add additional salt. If there isn't salt in it already, season the steaks with salt and pepper. Then, sprinkle 1-2 generous pinches of pork season over the top and bottoms and press it to adhere.

Heat a grill pan over high heat. Add olive oil and warm until just barely smoking. Add the steaks. You should hear rapid sizzling when you set them on the hot surface. Lower the heat just slightly. If you want to try to cross-hatch your grill marks, rotate the steaks 90 degrees after 2 minutes. After 4-5 minutes on one side, flip each steak and sear the second side the same way. After another 4-5 minutes, start searing the sides, rotating every 1-2 minutes until all 4 sides are seared and pork feels tender, but not raw. Remember, pork tenderloin is best when cooked to medium temperature, approximately 145 degrees with an instant-read thermometer.

Transfer cooked steaks to a clean plate and let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serve two steaks per portion.

NOTE: If your grill pan is too small to cover more than one burner, it is better to work in two separate batches. Set the first 4 steaks over the center of the grill pan and cook as instructed. Before searing the sides, however, move them to a clean plate and proceed to sear the second batch the same way. Once the second batch is seared on top and bottom, start to sear the sides as described above. You can also add the first four steaks and sear their sides now as well. This way, all of them will finish at the same time. If you happen to be cooking these on the grill, keeping the lid closed will help the tenderloins cooks faster and you likely won't have to sear the sides at all.

Heat a large saute pan over high heat. Add olive oil and warm until nearly smoking. Add carrots, season with salt and pepper and then toss to coat. Use a spoon or spatula to arrange carrots in a single layer and let them sit in the hot pan for a few minutes to sear. Start to stir or toss as they cook. You want them to stay on the surface of the pan long enough that they begin to char, but not so long that they stick and burn. So be patient but attentive! This process can take about 8-10 minutes.

Once carrots have a nice char coloring on them, add rice wine vinegar and cover the pan. If you don't have a lid, aluminum foil will work too. Let the carrots steam quickly, just 1-2 minutes, then remove the lid. Add the brown sugar and butter and as both start to melt toss the carrots to coat them in the glossy sauce. Remove the pan from the heat. Scoop carrots onto dinner plates and serve warm!

- I have some beautiful lettuces growing in my garden right now so that's what I used for this post. It's a combination of arugula and Bibb lettuce. You can pick similar things up at the farmers market in your area, or buy mixed greens, or other favorite variety, at the store.- Pink peppercorns pack a ton of punch, and adorable color, which is why I call for them specifically in this recipe. I found a small packet which, was more than enough, at my local store so I only needed to spend $1.50. If you can't find this small portion and don't want to spend the money for a larger quantity, stick with all black pepper, just use more.

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine the honey, rice wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, pink peppercorns, black pepper and kosher salt in a jar or food storage container with a tight fighting lid. Screw the lid on tight and shake vigorously to combine all ingredients. Check the taste. Does the balance of sweet and tangy make you want to shimmy your shoulders?!? If so, yeah! If not, let's troubleshoot. Do you notice the peppercorns? If not, add a little more. Does it seem too oily or fatty? If so, add more vinegar. Or, does it seem too vinegar-y? If so, add more oil. You can play around to find the balance that suits your tastes best. As long as you taste the honey and the peppercorns, I'm happy!

Tear or chop lettuces and add to a large bowl. Add sliced shallot and crumbled blue cheese. Drizzle with dressing (just before serving, not ahead of time), and toss to combine. Scoop onto plates and serve.

​2. Trim the pork tenderloin into medallions or steaks. If you are working with two tenderloins, aim to get 4 medallions out of each. I estimate about 2 fingers-wide, although I increase this as I get to the more narrow end. If you are working with a large tenderloin, aim to get 8 medallions out of it. If the ends are really tapered, I cut them off and discard so every piece cooks evenly. Ideally, each steak is about 2.5-3 ounces.

3. Turn the steaks on their cut sides. Check your spice blend. If it has salt in it already don't add additional salt. If there isn't salt in it already, season the steaks with salt and pepper. Then, sprinkle 1-2 generous pinches of pork season over the top and bottoms and press it to adhere.

4. Heat a grill pan over high heat. Add olive oil and warm until just barely smoking. Add the steaks. You should hear rapid sizzling when you set them on the hot surface. Lower the heat just slightly. If you want to try to cross-hatch your grill marks, rotate the steaks 90 degrees after 2 minutes. After 4-5 minutes on one side, flip each steak and sear the second side the same way. After another 4-5 minutes, start searing the sides, rotating every 1-2 minutes until all 4 sides are seared and pork feels tender, but not raw. Remember, pork tenderloin is best when cooked to medium temperature, approximately 145 degrees with an instant-read thermometer.

5. Heat a large saute pan over high heat. Add olive oil and warm until nearly smoking. Add carrots, season with salt and pepper and then toss to coat. Use a spoon or spatula to arrange carrots in a single layer and let them sit in the hot pan for a few minutes to sear. Start to stir or toss as they cook. You want them to stay on the surface of the pan long enough that they begin to char, but not so long that they stick and burn. So be patient but attentive! This process can take about 8-10 minutes.

6. While the pork and carrots cook, make the vinaigrette. Combine the honey, rice wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, pink peppercorns, black pepper and kosher salt in a jar or food storage container with a tight fighting lid. Shake vigorously to combine all ingredients, then check taste. Does the balance of sweet and tangy make you want to shimmy your shoulders?!? If so, yeah! If not, let's troubleshoot. Do you notice the peppercorns? If not, add a little more. Does it seem too oily or fatty? If so, add more vinegar. Or, does it seem too vinegar-y? If so, add more oil. You can play around to find the balance that suits your tastes best. As long as you taste the honey and the peppercorns, I'm happy!

7. Once carrots have a nice char coloring on them, add rice wine vinegar and cover the pan. If you don't have a lid, aluminum foil will work too. Let the carrots steam for 2-3 minutes, then remove the lid. Add the brown sugar and butter and as both start to melt toss the carrots to coat them in the glossy sauce. Remove the pan from the heat. Keep carrots warm in the pan until ready to serve.

8. Transfer cooked steaks to a clean plate and let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serve two steaks per portion.

9. Tear or chop lettuces and add to a large bowl. Add sliced shallot and crumbled blue cheese. Drizzle with dressing (just before serving, not ahead of time), and toss to combine.

10. Scoop carrots onto dinner plates along with two pork medallions. Set a bundle of salad along side and serve!

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Hi! I'm Emily, and this is the official blog of Guest Chef, my personal chef and catering business serving Metro Detroit. As much as I love to cook for people, I also love inspiring others to cook great food for themselves and their friends and family. Which is why I share recipes, tips and inspiration here. Follow along and let's cook something great together!